Sheet-feeding mechanism



Dec. 1924- 1,517,255

A. R. SCHOLIN I I SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Deg. 27. 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 1,517,255 I A. R. SCHOLIN j SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Fildbec. 27. 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 i i i J- 1Q Q1/3063???" MKMMZ;

A. R. SCHOLIN SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Fi led Dec. 27. 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 llllllll R. I L. l -wmww h\\ u I. 1. w W|| Pl il 'M. H

Illllllllllllllllli! llllIlllllI A. R. SCHOLIN SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Filed D80- 27. 1920 4 Sheets-Shae Patented Dec. 2, 1924.

' ."om'reo STATES "rem" rric AXEL R. SCHOLIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,- ASSIGNOR TO AUTOMATIC WRAPPING MACHINE CO., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SHEET-FEEDING MECHANISM.

Application filed December 27, 1920. Serial No. 433,232.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AxEL R. ScHoLIN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefnl Improvements in Sheet-Feeding Mechanism, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to mechanism for in feeding sheets of paper and other similar material, and has for its object the provision of mechanism of the class named which shall be ofimproved construction and operation.

The invention is exemplified in the combination and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification, and it is more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. t

In the drawings p Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of one embodiment of-the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation looking-from the left in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top'plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, with parts broken away; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section substantially on line 4--4 of Fig. 1.

While the present invention is shown. as applied-to a label pasting machine similar to that of my prior application, Serial No. 257,222, filed October 7. 1918, it will be ,readily apparent thatqit is also applicable to a great many other forms of machines to which sheets of paper or similar material are successively fed.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a supporting frame provided with a ranged to slide. The sleeve 12 carries a table 13 supporting a stack of sheets 14. Any mechanism for automatically feeding the table upwardly to maintain the upper surface of the pile of sheets 14 at substantially constant level maybe employed, one

form of mechanism for this purpose being standard 11 along which a sleeve 12 is ar-' The sheets 14 are lifted, one at a time, from the top'of the stack by suction heads 15 and are carried forwardly to present the front edges of the sheets to a set of rollers 16 and 17 mounted on'shafts 18 and 19, respectively. The rollers 16 and 17 are arranged in pairs, the lower roller of each palr having a groove 20 in its periphery which cooperates with the rounded periphery 21 of the upper rollers 16 to feed the sheets between the rollers and into contact with a second pair of rollers 22 and 23 mounted on shafts 24 and 25,. respectively.

The sheets are discharged from the rollers 22 and 23 to the machine to which they are to be fed. The rollers 22 and 23 have from the chambers 26. Air is drawn from. the chambers 26 through flexible tubes 28 connected with intake pipes 29 of a suction pump 30. The pump 30 is preferably of a rotary type to provide continuous suction through the tubes 28 to the heads -15. The heads 15 are pivotally supported on pins 31 carried by levers 32 which are pivoted at 33 to the lower ends of rockerarms 34. The arms 34 are pivotally mounted on a shaft 35 and are connected to one another by a sleeve 36 journaled. upon the shaft 35. A. pair of springs 37..are connected with the'forward ends of the levers 32 and normally tend to lift the suction heads 15\upw ardly away from the top of the stack of sheets 14." The action of the springs 37 is overcome at certain periods in the operation of the machine by rods 39 pivotally connected at 40 to the levers 32 and extend upwardly through openings in" the outer. ends of arms' 41 carried by sleeves 42 fixed toflthe shaft 35 to oscillate'therewith. Coil springs 44 surround the projecting ends to the rods 39 and exert a -yielding tension on the rods which presses the suction heads 15 against the upper surface of the stack of sheets 14 when the arts are in the osition shown in Fig. 4.

e tension of t e springs 44 may be adjusted by a pair of lock nuts 45. The

arms 41 carry downwardly extending tappets 46, the lower ends of which engage the rear edges-of the arms 34 and move the arms 34 forwardly, together with the suction heads 15, when the shaft 35' is oscillated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig.

4. oscillatory movement is imparted to the v shaft 35 by a crank arm '47 cbnnected by a pitman 48 with a gearwheel 49 mounted on a shaft 50 journaled in the frame 10. The shaft 50 may be rotated by any suitable source of power, such as by a sprocket chain laterally extending 51. The gear wheel 49 meshes with a pinion 52 secured to the shaft 19 which carries the rollers 17 The shaft 19 operates the other rollers 16, 22 and 23. through intermeshing gearing 53. 4 I

Each suction head 15 is provided with a portion 54 of the pin 31-, the extension 54 aving a groove or notch 55 formed in the upper face thereof. The

' notches 55 are arranged to engage curved cam tracks 56 carried by brackets 57 on the frame 10. The cam tracks 56, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, diverge outwardly toward the front of the machine so that when the notches contact with the tracks 56 and the suction heads 15 are moved forwardly they will be simultaneously drawn laterally away from one another to produce a stretching'action upon the sheet of paper carried by the suction heads so that the paper will be drawn perfectly flat and any Iooseness or wrinkles removed before it is fed to the rollers 16' and 17. There is. sufiicient play in the joints 40 t'opermit of a' slight lateral movement of the arm 32. The motion of the sucti'on heads 15 is produced by the' oscillation of the shaft 35. When-the arts are in the position shown in Fig. 4 an the shaft 35 is rotated in'a clockwise direction, the-arms 41 will move downwardly releasing the springs 44 and the rods 39 so that the forward ends of;the levers 32 will be swung upwardly by the springs 37 This will bring the grooves .55 into engagement with 'the cam tracks 56 and at the same time lift the uppermost sheet 14 from-the top of the stack. Further'rotation of the shaft 35 will causethe tappets 46 to engage. the rear edgesof the arms 34 and move the lower ends of the arms, together with the levers 32 and suction heads, forwardly to carry the-lifted v sheet towards the rollers 16 and 17 As the co suction Iheads arethus moved they-are drawm outwardly away from ,one another j by the cam tracks 56, thus stretchin sheet of aper until it is drawn er ectly taut, so t at it is perfectlystraig t when fed between the rollers 16 and 17. It is 59 by a spring 61.

the

very desirablethatfthe papers fed to machines of various types shall be entirely free from any wrinkles, and this outward movement of the suction heads relative to one another has been found in practice to be very effective in securing this result.

When the sheet has been moved to position to be engaged by the rollers 16 and 17 it is, of course, desirable to release the sheet from the suction heads 15. This result is produced-by opening the intake ipes 29 to atmosphere and thus breaking t e vacuum in the suction heads 15. The pipes 29 communicate to the pump 30 through a pipe fitting 58 having an'opening 59 communieating with the atmosphere, but closed by a cover 60 normally held against the openm arms 34 have moved forwardly a sufiicient amount to bring the front ed eof the sheet (Y A finger 62 is connected .with. the cover 60 and projects downwardly into position to engage the rol ers 16 and 17. 4

To prevent the uppermost sheet 14 from adhering to the next adjacent sheet and to assist the suction heads 15 in separating the upper sheet from the stacks. pair of nozzles 6 are located on opposite sides of the stack adjacent its upper surface in position to direct a stream of air against the edges of the uppermost sheets of the stack. The nozzles, as shown in Fig. 4, are'elongatedin a vertical direction so that the air stream has a greater width vertically "than horizontally in order to cover any variation in the height of the top of the stack. The streams of air impinging against the edges of the sheets at opposite sides produce a constant sli ht fluttering of the uppermost sheet so t lat there is" no tendencyof a sheet to adhere to the one beneath it andso that it may conse- .quent ly be readily lifted by the suction heads. The nozzles 67 are connected to the discharge outlet of the pump' 30 by pipes 68 and tube 69. The pum 30 during operation is constantly rotate by any suitable source; ofpower, such as by 'an electricmotor or a belt 70. After a sheet of pa er has been delivered from the suction hea s 15 to the rollers-16 and 17 the return movement of the shaft 35 causes the arms 41 to move upwardly permitting the, spring 66 to ro-' tate the arms 34 rearwardly and thus return the suction heads to their initial position above the. top of the stack. As the arms 41 approach their uppermost position they 37 and carry the suction faces of the heads 15 into resilient contact withthe u er surface of the next sheet to be fed. he fact that the'suction heads are pivotally'mounted on their supports permit thesuction faces to adjust themselves to the top surface of the sheet so'that good contact is insured.

The resilient pressure of the head against the sheet also assists in proper engagement between the sheet and the suction head.

In order to prevent the heads from undue angular movement abouttheir .pivotal supports each of the levers 32 is provided with a pair of pins 71 in position to limit the angular movement of the heads upon their pivotal supports. Fingers 72 may be pro-, vided for engaging the lateral faces/of the stack to assist in preventing more than'one sheet from being lifted at a time, and overhanging lips 73 may be arranged at the front edge of the stack to assist in retaining the lower sheets in position when the up ermost sheet is removed. The fact that the uppermost sheet is lifted vertically prior to its forward movement permits it to be freed from theretainers 72 and 73 before it is cgrried forwardly toward the rollers 16 and 1 I claim 2- 1. Mechanism for feeding sheets, one at a time, from a stack comprising means for exerting a current of airagainst the edges of said sheets to assist in separating the uppermost sheet in said stack, a pair of suction heads arranged to engage the surface of the uppermost sheet of said stack, means for lifting said-suction heads to raise said sheet, means for moving said suction heads to feed said sheet away from said stack, and means for separating said suction heads during said feeding movement to exert tension on said sheet to straighten said sheet.

2. Sheet-feeding mechanism 2 comprising a pivotally mounted suction head having a sheet-engaging surface, the pivotal mounti'ng for said head lying within the projecl I 5 tion of sald surface and having motlon about a. single axis, yielding means for pressing said head against the face of said sheet to cause said face to adjust itself to the surface of.'said sheet, and means for limiting the pivotal movement of said head upon its support to retain said head in'position to said sheet.

Sheet-feeding mechanism comprising a pair of suction heads, supports for moving said -suction heads into engagement with a sheet to be lifted, mechanism for raising said suction heads to lift said sheet, means. for moving said supports to carry said suction heads in a feeding direction,

properly engage the surface of 'and diverging guides for said suction heads to cause said suction heads to move-away from one another during said feeding movement. v

4. Sheet-feeding mechanism comprising a suction head, a supporting lever having said suction head pivotally mounted on one end thereof and free to turn upon its pivot,

an arm having pivotal connection with said lever 1ntermed1ate its ends, mechanism for periodically shifting said lever about itspivota-l support to bring-said suction head into and out, of contact with the surface of a sheet to be fed, and means for shifting v said pivotal support to transfer a sheet held by said suction head.

5. Sheet-feeding mechanism comprising a support for a stack of sheets, a lever having. .asuction head pivotally mounted on one end thereof for lifting sheets from said stack. a pivotally mounted arm having pivotal connection with saidlever intermediate the ends of saidlever, mechanism for shift- '-ing said lever about its pivotal support to move said suction head to and from the'up- 9 per face of said stack, an oscillatory shaft for operating said mechanism, and means connected with saidshaft'for shifting said lever-supporting arm to impart a feedin movement to said suction head after sai suction head has been lifted away from said. stack.

6. Sheet-feeding 'mechanism .comprising a support for a stack of sheets, a suction head for lifting sheets from said stack a lever on which said head is shiftably mounted, an arm havin pivotal connection with said lever intermediate the ends thereof, an oscillatory member. having yielding.

connection with said lever to lift said suction head, means on said osclllatory memher for engagingsaid supporting arm for said lever to impart a feeding movement to said suction head after said SllCtlOll head has been lifted from said stack, and a guide for controlling the direction'of said feeding movement. a

. 7. Sheet-feeding mechanism comprising a suction lifting device, a continuously acting pump for exhausting air from said lifting device, mechanism for moving said lifting device to feed asheet carried thereby, and means connected with 'said moving mechanism for breaking the vacuum in said lifting device after said moving mechanism has moved a redetermined amount.

ously operating airpump having means connected with the exhaust'thereof for di recting acurrent of air against the edges of the uppermost sheets in said stack, a pair of suction heads connected with the intake of said pump. supports on which said suction heads are, shiftably mounted, mech- 8. Sheet-fee ing. mechanism comprising a "a support for a stack of sheets, a continulln anism for yieldingly pressing said suction heads against the uppermost sheet in said stack to cause said sheet to be drawn against the faces of said suction heads, mechanism for raising said supports to lift a sheet from said stack and for moving said support in the direction of the plane of said sheet, diverging guides for separating said suction hea s to straighten said sheet 1 during the movement thereof, rollers for AXEL R. SCHOLIN. 

